United Athletic Conference

Seattle U's Nathan Cogswell has been named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Golfer of the Week for March 30 through April 5.

 

Cogswell, a senior from Kent, Wash., only was able to play one round at the weather-shortened Redhawk Invitational but that round was a gem, shooting a 1-under-pay 70 to tie for second place among 116 golfers and help SU tie for fourth amongst 23 teams. On the season, he holds a 73.3 stroke average.

 

Other nominees: Abilene Christian's Zane Heusel took advantage of his lone round at the Redhawk Invitational, shooting an even-par 71 to tie for third in the weather-shortened event … UT Rio Grande Valley's Juan Luis de Bethencourt Duque led the Vaqueros in the weather-shortened Redhawk Invitational, shooting a 78 in the tournament's lone round to tie for 59th … Utah Valley's Brady McKinlay tied for 40th at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic, shooting a even-par 216.

 

11 of the 12 teams in the WAC will be in action this week. Chicago State remains in the midwest for the NKU Collegiate Classic in Batavia, Ohio. Three schools will be at the Sandpiper Invitational with California Baptist, Dixie State and Grand Canyon heading to Goleta, Calif. The final tournament on the schedule is the Bayou City Collegiate where Sam Houston will host Abilene Christian, Lamar, NM State, Stephen F. Austin, UT Rio Grande Valley and Utah Valley.

 

Sam Houston's Chad Sewell leads the WAC in stroke average at 70.8 per round. NM State's Aidan Thomas is second at 71.9 strokes per round and CBU's Eeli Kujanpaa is third at 72.2. As a team, SHSU is the leader at 288.9 strokes per round. Utah Valley is second at 290.9 and Grand Canyon and NM State are tied for third at 292.0.

 

The WAC will be in a unique situation this season with two teams having earned automatic qualifications to NCAA Regionals in May. NM State will be the defending WAC champions, having won the 2021 Championship by just one stroke at Boulder Creek GC. Sam Houston also earned an automatic selection after winning the Southland Conference Championship by 10 strokes over Lamar. The Bearkats then placed fourth at the NCAA Stillwater Regional to earn a spot at the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, where SHSU tied for ninth in the team standings. 

 

On Jan. 14, the WAC announced the addition of five new schools in the upcoming years. Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin and Southern Utah were all offered and accepted membership invitations. With the addition, the WAC now has six schools in Texas, more than any other conference in the country, and will have three schools in Utah, also a national best. The four Texas schools joined the league on July 1, 2021 and Southern Utah will follow 365 days later, officially joining the WAC on July 1, 2022. More recently, Tarleton announced this fall its intention to revive men's golf, beginning in fall of 2022.

 

For the second straight season, the 2022 WAC Men's Golf Championship will be played at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev. Made up of three nine-hole courses, the course is considered by many to be one of the top municipal golf courses in the country. Scenic vistas, cool creeks, colorful wildflowers, and smooth beach bunkers add to the lure of this unique golf course.